Council Member Mark Levine speaking with Council Member Ritchie Torres to his left. Image credit: William Alatriste/New York City Council

The watchlist and online map would keep track of affordable housing rental units at-risk of becoming unaffordable, as defined by specified criteria. On April 7, 2016, New York City Council Members Ritchie Torres and Mark Levine introduced a bill to implement the creation of a watchlist for affordable residential rental units Citywide that are at risk of losing their affordable-housing status.  The bill provides the requisite criteria to be met by a residential rental unit listed on the watchlist, and calls on three separate City agencies to work together in creating and maintaining the watch list. (read more…)

Councilmember Ben Kallos. Image credit: William Alatriste/NYC Council

If enacted, all governmental online services and portals will be centralized in one manageable location online and on a mobile phone app.  On March 9, 2016, City Council Member Ben Kallos issued a press release announcing the proposal of a bill to streamline New York City’s interactive websites to one location.  By utilizing Single Sign-on, or SSO, technology, users would be required to remember only one username and password to gain access to their own personalized portals via internet browser or the City’s mobile app.

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Mapping tool provides range of zoning and land use information for individual properties and City at large. On August 25, 2011, the Department of City Planning and the Department of Information Technology & Telecommunications announced the release of the publicly accessible zoning and land use web application known as as ZoLa. The web-based Geographic Information Systems tool provides up-to-date maps with zoning and land use information for New York City properties.

ZoLa is a part of NYC Simplicity, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s plan to use technology to make government more transparent, customer focused, innovative, and efficient.

ZoLa is based on the same platform as the City’s online NYCityMap application and allows users to find land use information in “interactive, highly-readable map layers.” Users can review land use and zoning information for specific properties, neighborhoods, and the City at large. ZoLa’s map layers provide data on zoning designations, area land uses, landmark designations, and boundaries for historic districts and City Council and Community Districts. Users can also highlight locations where the City’s Inclusionary Housing Program, Lower Density Growth Management regulations, and FRESH food store incentives apply.

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Franchise holder advertised on public pay phones located in a residential zoning district. The Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications charged Coastal Communication Service, Inc., a public pay phone franchise holder, with displaying advertisements on public pay phones within a residential zoning district. Coastal’s franchise agreement limited the display of advertisements on public pay phones to residential districts where commercial or manufacturing uses were permitted as-of-right.

Coastal argued that DoITT had exceeded its authority by adding the as-of-right limitation in its franchise agreement. It argued that the City Council, in authorizing DoITT to enter into franchise agreements, stated that public pay phone advertising was allowed in zoning districts where commercial or manufacturing uses were permitted and had not limited the area to as-of-right districts. The ALJ upheld the violations and noted that it was not allowed to determine whether DoITT exceeded its authority. Coastal appealed to the Environmental Control Board. (read more…)